Mischief Managed
by Crookshanks.x
Summary: A sweet little postDH story inspired by something JK said in the Bloomsbury Live Chat. Involves the next generation on a little adventure, competently lead by James. Harry, you should have hidden it better! OneShot.


**Disclaimer:** Once upon a time there was a girl who did NOT own Harry Potter. Hey wait. No one told me this was going to be a tragic fairytale! 

**A/N:** Got to love those plotbunnies that pop into your head and never leaves. I had to get this down on paper. For those who may wonder, I'm still working on _Beneath Your Window_, so no worries :) I just needed a break.

* * *

**Mischief Managed**

The Potter residence was abnormally quiet this humid August afternoon. If Harry and Ginny had not been so preoccupied with enjoying the sudden peace, their suspicion would probably have risen at alarming speed. Because there was no deadlier silence than the one in the Potter residence.

Only the southeast part of the second floor had escaped the eerie silence of the house, where hushed whispers and low hisses could've been overheard if anyone else was there to hear them.

"Merlin's Beard, Al, will you stop bumping into me?" James hissed from his position at the front of the queue, his back hunched as he tiptoed over the hallway floor.

"It's not my fault," he replied indignantly. "Rose keeps pushing me."

"I do not!" came the fierce reply.

"Are you telling me we have a ghost, then? Cause _somebody_ is constantly pressing at my back to go faster."

"How do you know it's not Hugo?"

"Don't start blaming me, I'm several hippogriff lengths behind the lot of you!"

"Will you people shut up?" Lily suddenly exclaimed in a harsh whisper. "You'll send dad rushing up here in seconds."

"Won't he just assume we're arguing about who gets the best broomstick, or something?", Rose asked and turned towards her friend.

"Oh, no, he'll know," the redhead replied.

"He guards this thing with his life," the oldest brother informed them.

"At first we just thought it was sacred, something he didn't have the heart to part with," Albus continued. "But now we're convinced he's just holding out on us cause he's scared of what we'll do with it."

Hugo's eyes sparkled in glee. "That must mean it's a real treat."

"If Uncle George tells the truth, it's bloody marvelous," James proclaimed, giving a mischievous smile.

"Oh come on, Jamie, tell us what he said," Lily begged just as they came face to face with door to The Mysterious, Forbidden Room of Doom. "It's unfair that only you get to know."

"Yeah, mate. Don't keep it all to yourself."

"We're going in to get it, aren't we?" James replied, sounding slightly impatient. "I don't need to tell you, you'll see it for yourselves."

"You're actually going to go in?" Rose asked, biting her lip while looking around anxiously.

The others followed her lead and studied the hallway with their concerned gaze, but the parents were still in complete shock over the sudden peace, and had not yet caught on to the atmosphere of mischief.

"We've already come this far," he said slowly. "And I promise you it'll be worth it."

"Even if we're grounded until school starts?" Hugo asked wryly, having just completed his first year with Lily.

"This is going to revolutionize your days at Hogwarts, mate. Don't you worry about a thing," James promised with a wide grin spreading across his face.

The other four exchanged eager glances, their cheeks starting to flush with excitement over this marvelous Gift – whatever it was.

"Oh, get on with it then," Al urged. "They'll start to get suspicious soon."

They all turned towards the door, which looked remarkably larger, towering over them like the forbidden object it had always been. This was his place, the place where he kept things they had only heard about in fantastic tales they barely even believed in the first place. They had come to terms with the fact that their parents had seen more than they would probably ever see, and while they envied some of it, there were several things they knew they were quite content never having to experience.

The remaining four watched in awe as James reached out and placed his hand on the handle. They all jerked in surprise when he suddenly turned around.

"Not a word to anyone," he whispered sternly, and they all shook their head, afraid they would be denied this marvelous treat.

As the door swung open, revealing the sacred space they had been forbidden to enter without permission, they walked in with huge eyes, overwhelmed by shelves and shelves of odd items, books and parchments. Lily closed the door tentatively, while the others spread out in different directions, surveying the unfamiliar scene.

"Look at all this," Rose exclaimed, her voice breathless. "I don't even know what half of this is."

"Maybe we should be careful," Lily said, grabbing Al's hand as he was about to touch a foreign object. "We don't know what these things do."

"Dad would never have anything dangerous under the same roof as us," Jams retorted from a far corner of the room. "You know how over-protective he is."

Lily caved, but still looked wearily at many of the objects resting on the shelves.

They walked around in silence, each of them marveling at different things in the room, excited outcries sometimes breaking the silence between them. Rose was stuck at the books, the unusual titles capturing her interest.

"Oh look," she exclaimed, taking a tattered book down from the shelves. It was clearly not very well cared for. "It's a signed Lockhart book."

"Dad says he's a douche," Hugo retorted over his shoulders.

"Mum said he's actually kind of charming."

"He was a total fake," Al laughed. "Tried to put a memory charm on dad with Uncle Ron's broken wand and ended up obliviating himself."

"He has a nice smile, though," Rose said defensively.

"You're such a girl," her brother complained, rolling his eyes.

She was about to open her mouth to retort when Lily's outcry drowned out her attempt to speak.

"Al, look!" she cried.

Her older brother turned around abruptly from the sneakoscope he was admiring, and crossed the room to peer over her shoulder.

"It says Severus," she said in a hushed voice.

And it did say _Severus_ in a swirly, meticulous handwriting. The small note with the name was attached to a transparent vial filled to the brim with an odd silvery substance.

"What is it?" he asked in awe, taking the small bottle in his hand.

"A potion?" Hugo suggested, inclining his head slightly to the side.

"No," Lily said, shaking her head. "It's not quite liquid. It can't be a potion."

"It doesn't look like anything I've ever seen before," Rose observed. "Almost looks like tiny silver pearls engulfed in mist."

"I wish we could ask dad," Al said, a bit longingly.

"I think it might be a bit private," Lily mused, taking it carefully from Al's grip and put it back on the shelf where she found it. "It was hidden behind several other things. Right behind the picture of the Order."

"He'll probably tell you some day," Rose smiled, putting her hand comfortingly on Al's shoulder.

He was eyeing the vial longingly, remembering the day on Platform 9 ¾ when his father reminded him that he was named after two brave men, one Slytherin and one Gryffindor. Parts of him longed to know more, and somehow he knew the vial held what he looked for, but Rose was right. He knew his father would tell him some day, and he didn't even know what the substance was, and how to get access to it.

"Yeah, you're right," he said, giving a weak smile.

She gave his shoulder a squeeze and turned around just as James gave a triumphant cry.

"I found it," he grinned, and the atmosphere in the room suddenly tensed.

"Really?" Lily asked breathlessly, practically running over to his place by the desk.

"This has to be it," he nodded, and signaled for the others to gather around him.

They flocked around, pushing each other aside to get a better view. Eventually they settled down, all of them looking at a rolled up parchment in James' hand.

"It was in an almost hidden drawer. I had to use a charm to reveal it," he said proudly, and they all eyed him in amazement.

"Where did you learn that?" Rose asked, sounding flabbergasted.

"I thought it would come in handy," he grinned, and then unrolled the parchment slowly, for dramatic effect.

They all stared at it, blankly, and then disappointed groans filled the tense silence.

"James, it's a bloody blank parchment," Al cried.

"We've practically risked our lives for a sheet of paper," the oldest Weasley exclaimed, sounding faint.

"Don't get your knickers in a twist," James said in exasperation, rolling his eyes. "It's hidden."

The other four stopped their disappointed muttering and eyed him immediately.

"Do you know how to unlock whatever it is?" Lily inquired, her cheeks now flushing red in excitement.

"Uncle George taught me," he replied proudly, the other four's eyes growing large.

"Well hurry up, you git," Hugo urged impatiently.

James took his wand out, and cleared his throat, but suddenly found his wrist in Lily's surprisingly strong grip.

"James, what in Merlin's name," she hissed. "Won't you get done for underage magic?"

"They don't care," James said happily. "I've been doing it last summer, and this one. Having a famous dad is well brilliant."

"That's despicable," she said, her brows furrowing in disagreement.

He rose his brow at her, and she released her grip despite her concerns.

"I'm only letting this go because you know how to work this thing," she huffed, gesturing towards the empty parchment.

"You're such a goody two-shoes, little sis," he said, shaking his head.

"If I was, would I be in here now?"

He ignored her retort and turned his attention to the parchment again. All eyes were on him as he rose his wand and tapped the top of the parchment lightly.

"I solemnly swear I am up to no good."

Gasps of wonder and squeals of excitement filled the air as a map unfolded before their eyes. It became apparent rather quickly that the map showed Hogwarts, and the teachers staying behind for summer were represented by small dots and names within the walls.

"It worked!" he cried, throwing his free hand above his head.

"This is Hogwarts. It's a map of Hogwarts," Rose said in amazement, bending as far as she could over James' shoulder.

"And more of it than you've ever seen," he proclaimed proudly. "All the secret passageways are shown. Look, this one goes into Hogsmeade."

"There's a secret passageway into Hosgmeade?" Hugo cried in glee, nearly ripping the map out of James' hands.

"Hey, watch it. This is history, right here."

"The people are moving," Al commented. "You can actually see where people are at any given time. There's Professor Longbottom!"

"_The Marauder's Map_," Lily read, and then gasped in comprehension. "Oh Merlin, James. They made this."

"I know," he said, smiling softly. "Our relatives were geniuses."

"What are you on about?" Rose questioned, struggling to see better.

"The Marauders," Lily repeated.

"Who?"

The Potter children looked scandalized, dumbstruck, completely rattled. The two Weasleys looked more confused than anything.

"It's a crime against everything we believe in," James cried dramatically.

"Oh shut up, and explain about this Maringer business instead."

"Marauder," Al corrected with a wince.

"The Marauders were our Granddad and his friends," Lily explained quietly, and then pointed at the map. "Prongs was Granddad, cause his patronus was a stag. Padfoot was Sirius, dad's godfather. Moony was Teddy's dad and Wormtail was Peter Pettigrew, the man who betrayed our grand parents."

Rose and Hugo 'oh'ed in comprehension. "So they were all best friends?"

"Yep," James confirmed. "And ardent troublemakers."

"Makes me so proud to be a Potter," Al said, putting his hand over heart in a dramatic gesture.

"I wish we knew them," Rose said quietly.

"Yeah, me too."

"But the least we can do is take this legacy and continue the tradition," James grinned. "They would've wanted that."

"But if we want to get away with this magnificent map, I suggest we get our arses out of here right now," Hugo said, looking anxiously towards the door. "We've been in her for ages."

The others nodded and broke up from their little circle. They made sure everything was as they left it, and closed the door quietly after everyone had tiptoed out. James clutched the map tightly in his hands, while they all kept a look out for either Harry or Ginny lurking about.

"Let's go into my room, it's closer," James suggested quietly, and they all followed him through the first door on the left.

He closed it behind them all, just as Al took the map from his hands.

"Wait till Scorpius sees this."

"Yeah, imagine all the things we can do," Rose exclaimed. "We can take him out to the library at night, and no one will ever have to find out!"

The others looked at her with their eyebrows raised, and she stared back.

"What?" she asked, meeting their incredulous gaze.

"You're a lost cause," Hugo sighed, sitting down on James' bed.

They all froze in their tracks as they heard footsteps thundering up the stairs. Rose raced to the bookshelf, while the other three standing jumped onto the bed in unison. James took out his wand and cried almost hysterically, "Mischief managed!"

All five pairs of eyes looked at the map disappearing, and he stuffed the parchment under his pillow just as Rose threw a book on the bed and opened it at a random page. Moments later, they heard a door being thrown open down the hall, and then closed, before the door to James' room flew open to reveal a distressed Harry. He had obviously realised what the silence actually meant.

"What have you done?" he asked, almost stricken with panic.

"Nothing, dad," Lily said, widening her emerald eyes at him, looking like the epitome of innocence.

"We're reading," Rose told him, pointing at the book on the bed.

"Reading," he repeated doubtfully, searching the room for anything out of the ordinary.

"Yeah, school is coming up, dad. Have to be prepared," Al said, putting on his most responsible smile.

"What are you reading?" Harry inquired, looking at them in suspicion.

"_Hogwarts; A History_," Rose proclaimed proudly.

He looked at them all in turn, feeling severely unnerved by the sight of all the children sitting quite still on the bed, _reading_.

"You've been spending too much time at Hermione's," he finally concluded, earning chuckles from the objects of his suspicion. "Very well. You better not be up to something."

"Of course not, dad."

"Who? Us? Never."

Harry gave them a final, weary look before closing the door. He looked around carefully for any booby traps, before descending the stairs again, not the least bit reassured of their innocence.

Back in James' room, the group was breathing shallowly, some laughing nervously at the narrow miss.

"I can't believe we got away with it," Al said, shaking his head. "It's a miracle."

"Do you know what this means," James asked them, a grin forming on his lips.

They all shook their heads, waiting for him to elaborate.

"If Uncle George was right about this..."

"- The Invisibility Cloak must be real too!"

James nodded at his little sister, and they all gaped at each other in awe, a stunned silence sinking over them like a blanket.

"Blimey..."

* * *

**Inspiration:**

**Courtney:** Which child did Harry give the Marauders Map to, if any?  
**J.K. Rowling:** I've got a feeling he didn't give it to any of them, but that James sneaked it out of his father's desk one day.

Question and answer from JK Rowling's chat at Bloomsbury on July 30th 2007.


End file.
